Music and more... |
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Joke of the month:
Potatoes make french fries, potato chips, and vodka. It’s like the other vegetables aren’t even trying. |
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Thoughts and observations
2/16/26 It has been a bit of a whirlwind weekend. On Friday The Millis Berfield Band played a showcase at the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association. Quite the challenge! We had a 15 minute slot in which to show what we could do - and that time included set up and teardown. Still, we managed to crank out 5 different (shortened) songs in that time. Lots of applause from interested listeners. On Saturday, the following day, we played the Natick Farmers Market. Another good gig. Ken, Bo, and I are really starting to mesh. We have a lot of fun playing together. At the end of the gig there is a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. Looking forward to future gigs! -Mark Mark’s Story For several years I was out in the greater Boston area performing solo with my trusty keyboard and P/A. Along about early Spring of 2024 I was starting to think about slowing down and taking fewer gigs. Then Ken Porter came along and asked if I would want to join Crusty Rock, the backing band for Rockin' The Boroughs. Since the music was going to be selected from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s I figured “Why not? This might be fun.” I hadn’t played in a band for quite some time. The energy is very different, from being a solo player. Little did I realize what would come next. The Rockin' The Boroughs show is the brainchild of the charismatic Manoj Padaki. He has managed to wrangle/inspire/cajole/train, a group of senior citizens into a remarkable choir. This has led us down the path to sold out shows and hundreds of people cheering for more at every concert. (I was right, it DID turn out to be a lot of fun.) Now, I had known Ken casually for several years. (Don’t call him a drummer - he is a wonderfully varied percussionist!) The local music community, in my area is large and mutually supportive. I even had the opportunity to share a stage with Ken on a few occasions, and I knew about The Millis Berfield Band. (TMBB) Ken’s band has been around for years in a couple different forms, but I had come to respect the positive energy and wonderful vocal harmonies, and tight instrumentation that TMBB produced. After the first season of Rockin The Boroughs, Ken asked me to join TMBB. It didn’t take much thought to say “yes”. Since then I have had the pleasure of performing with Ken, and Bo Veaner, (the other member of the TMBB trio). I have found much in this group to appreciate, from the excellent songwriting, to the wonderful vocal harmonies, with Bo’s slightly edgy vocal timbre, as a wonderful contrast to Ken’s sweet tenor. I have come to really appreciate what Ken and Bo add to my original songs, as well as the upbeat originals that Bo crafts. It is also great fun to see the reactions of the audience when we nail some tight vocal harmonies. The adventure continues… |